Black Milk Dazzles with a Taste of the Real in London

BLACK MILK :: 2016.05.26 :: BROOKLYN BOWL LONDON
Brooklyn Bowl London welcomed Black Milk on Thursday night, and after a set littered with beats, rhymes, and live instrumentation, it’s fair to say that hip-hop hasn’t sounded this good in a very long time. Accompanied by the Nat Turner Band — whom he collaborated with to release The Rebellion Sessions LP earlier this year — Black Milk offered a show that bridged the gap between many musical styles while still keeping it all the way Detroit.

Giving Nat Turner a chance to shine, Black Milk humbly stepped out of the spotlight at various points to play conductor while the band — drummer, bassist, keyboardist — wowed the crowd with undeniable talent and chemistry. With healthy helpings of dirty funk thrown into the mix, one of the night’s highlights came when the fans were teased with a snippet of Prince’s “Controversy.” While it wasn’t obvious to everyone at the time what was about to happen, as soon as Black Milk mentioned he wanted to pay tribute to the Purple One, the crowd roared in approval and Nat Turner continued to play the song followed by “1999” and then injecting the bassline to Rick James’ “Super Freak” into the veins of the arrangement.

Black Milk eventually asked what the audience wanted to hear, and then the show became more of an interactive jam session than a structured colour-between-the-lines type of set — giving the fans more than their money’s worth. If you’re interested in real music being performed by real musicians headlined by a real artist, then you absolutely have to make sure to see a Black Milk show as soon as you can.—Ill Will | @OfficialIllWill